Incompressible Line Sizing Calculator Guide
Incompressible Line Sizing Calculator Guide
Incompressible Line Sizing Calculator Guide
Simon Learman
Contents
Contents ....................................................................................................... 2
Introduction ................................................................................................... 3
Calculation Inputs ......................................................................................... 3
Line Details ............................................................................................... 3
Fluid Properties ......................................................................................... 3
Elevations.................................................................................................. 3
Pipelines.................................................................................................... 4
Fittings....................................................................................................... 4
Calculation Outputs ...................................................................................... 5
Incompressible Flow in a Pipe ...................................................................... 6
Static Head Loss ....................................................................................... 6
Frictional Head Loss ................................................................................. 6
Pipe Friction Factor ................................................................................... 7
Fittings Frictional Head Loss ..................................................................... 7
Total Frictional Head Loss ........................................................................ 9
Total Head Loss ........................................................................................ 9
Calculation of Fluid Velocity ...................................................................... 9
Pipe Relative Roughness ........................................................................ 10
Reynolds Number ................................................................................... 10
Flow Regime ........................................................................................... 10
Pressure Drop and Head Loss ................................................................ 10
Calculation of Incompressible Pressure Drop ............................................ 11
Nomenclature ............................................................................................. 12
Example 1 ................................................................................................... 13
Description: ............................................................................................. 13
Requirement:........................................................................................... 13
Solution: .................................................................................................. 13
Incompressible Flow Calculator Screenshot Example 1: ........................ 14
Example 2 ................................................................................................... 17
Description: ............................................................................................. 17
Requirement:........................................................................................... 17
Solution: .................................................................................................. 17
Incompressible Flow Calculator Screenshot Example 2: ........................ 18
Example 3 ................................................................................................... 21
Description: ............................................................................................. 21
Requirement:........................................................................................... 21
Solution: .................................................................................................. 21
Incompressible Flow Calculator Screenshot Example 3: ........................ 22
Introduction
The calculator determines the pressure drop for incompressible flow through a
line given the required fluid flow rate and details of the piping system. The
system can be comprised of up to 3 pipes in series of differing diameters.
The calculator determines the static and frictional pressure drop based on the
Darcy-Weisbach formula.
Calculation Inputs
Line Details
Fluid Properties
Elevations
Pipelines
Fittings
Calculation Outputs
The following parameters are calculated by the software and displayed to the
user:
Incompressible flow applies to the flow of liquids in a pipe. It can also apply to
the flow of gases and vapours under the following circumstances:
1. If the calculated pressure drop between the pipe inlet and outlet is less
than 10% of the inlet pressure, it is reasonable to use the Darcy-
Weisbach formula for incompressible flow using the fluid density at
either the pipe inlet or outlet.
2. If the calculated pressure drop between the pipe inlet and pipe outlet is
between 10% and 40% of the inlet pressure, the Darcy-Weisbach
formula for incompressible flow using a fluid density based on the
average of the pipe inlet and outlet conditions will give reasonable
accuracy.
The static head loss in a system is the loss in pressure head due to
differences in elevation between the system inlet and system outlet. Static
head loss is calculated using the following:
The total frictional head loss in a system is the sum of the frictional head loss
in the pipe and the frictional head loss in the fittings.
H friction _ head _ total = H friction _ head _ pipe + H friction _ head _ fittings Equation 2
L u2
H friction _ head _ pipe = f Equation 3
d 2g
u2
H friction _ head _ pipe = K pipe Equation 4
2g
Where
L
K pipe = f Equation 5
d
For laminar flow (Re<2000) the friction factor is given by (Ref: Crane
Technical Paper 410M):
64
f = Equation 6
Re
For turbulent flow (Re>4000) the friction factor is calculated using the
Churchill equation (Ref: Perry’s 7th Ed, Page 6-11):
!2
( ( 0.27! " 7 %0.9 ++
f = 4 *!4 log * + $ ' -- Equation 7
*) *) d # Re & -,-,
In the transition zone between 2000 < Re < 4000 the friction factor is
indeterminate and has lower limits based on laminar flow conditions and
upper limits based on turbulent flow conditions. To produce a conservative
value for the calculated friction factor, the turbulent flow friction factor equation
is used throughout the transition zone in this calculation.
Frictional head loss through pipe fittings is calculated using the “resistance
coefficient” version of the Darcy-Weisbach equation (Ref: Crane Technical
Paper 410M, Page 2-8):
u2
H friction _ head _ fittings = K fittings Equation 8
2g
The resistance coefficient of the various pipe fittings used in the calculator are
based on data from Crane Technical Paper 410M. In general the resistance
coefficient for each type of fitting is dependent on the nominal size of the pipe
fitting.
In these cases, the resistance coefficient for each type and size of fitting is
calculated from the following equation:
K fitting = C × fT Equation 9
Fitting C K
90° LR bends 14 -
90° Std elbows 30 -
45° LR bends 10 -
45° Std elbows 16 -
Straight tees (flow thro' run) 20 -
Straight tees (flow thro' branch) 60 -
Pipe entrances - 0.5
Pipe exits - 1
Pipe contractions - 0.5
Pipe expansions - 1
Gate valves 8 -
Globe valves 340 -
Swing check valves 50 -
Lift check valves 600 -
Tilting disc check valves 40 -
Stop check valves 400 -
Poppet foot valves (with strainers) 420 -
8
Sometimes, the exact type and quantities of fittings in a line are undefined. In
this case the length of the line is often multiplied by a “fittings factor” to
provide some allowance for the head loss of the undefined fittings.
The calculator provides the facility to apply a “fittings factor” to each pipe
length. By default, the fittings factor is 1. The “fittings factor” has the effect of
modifying the pipe frictional head loss as follows:
'
K pipe = xK pipe Equation 10
The total frictional head loss of the pipe and fittings combined is given by the
following equation:
'
K total = K pipe + K fittings Equation 11
u2
H friction _ total = K total Equation 12
2g
The total head loss is the sum of the total static and frictional head losses in
the system.
Fluid velocity is calculated using the user specified mass flow rate, the fluid
density and the internal pipe diameter defined by the selected nominal pipe
size and schedule.
πd 2
A= Equation 14
4
9
m
Q= Equation 15
ρ
Q
u= Equation 16
A
The pipe relative roughness is the ratio of the absolute roughness of the
inside of the pipe to the pipe inside diameter.
ε
Relative roughness = Equation 17
d
Reynolds Number
ρud
Re = Equation 18
µ
Flow Regime
Pressure drop and head loss are related to each other via the following
equation:
10
ΔP = Hρg Equation 19
11
Nomenclature
12
Example 1
The following example was adapted from Crane Technical Paper 410M “Flow
of Fluids Through Valves, Fittings and Pipes” Example 1 Page 3-10.
Description:
Water at 90C flows through a 4 inch Schedule 40 new steel pipe at 92000
kg/hr.
Requirement:
Solution:
Calculated pressure drop per 100 metres of pipe = 0.83 bar (cf: 0.85 bar
published in Crane)
13
LINE DETAILS
From T-1000
To T-1001
Line Number Line 1
FLUID PROPERTIES
Fluid Water
Phase Liquid
Flow rate m 92000.00 kg/hr
Density ρ 965.00 kg/m3
Viscosity µ 0.3100 cP
ELEVATIONS
PIPELINES
FITTINGS
14
Fittings factor 1 1 1
OUTPUTS
15
16
Example 2
The following example was adapted from Crane Technical Paper 410M “Flow
of Fluids Through Valves, Fittings and Pipes” Example 4-14 Page 4-8.
Description:
Inlet elevation = 0 m
Outlet elevation = 22 m
Fluid density = 999 kg/m3
Fluid viscosity = 1.1 cP
Requirement:
Find the fluid velocity in both the 4” and 5” pipes and the pressure difference
between the system inlet and outlet.
Solution:
Calculated velocity in 4” pipe = 3.04 m/s (cf: 3.04 m/s published in Crane)
Calculated velocity in 5” pipe = 1.94 m/s (cf: 1.94 m/s published in Crane)
Calculated pressure difference = 2.66 bar (cf: 2.6 bar published in Crane)
The calculated result is slightly higher than the published result in Crane due
to the use of a more conservative value of the resistance coefficient of a 4” x
5” expansion of 1 in the calculator compared to 0.32 used in Crane.
17
LINE DETAILS
From T-1000
To T-1001
Line Number Line 1
FLUID PROPERTIES
Fluid Water
Phase Liquid
Flow rate m 89910.00 kg/hr
Density ρ 999.00 kg/m3
Viscosity µ 1.1000 cP
ELEVATIONS
PIPELINES
FITTINGS
18
Fittings factor 1 1 1
OUTPUTS
19
20
Example 3
The following example was adapted from Crane Technical Paper 410M “Flow
of Fluids Through Valves, Fittings and Pipes” Example 4-9 Page 4-5.
Description:
S.A.E. 70 Lube Oil at 40C is flowing through a piping system consisting of the
following components at a flow rate of 2300 litres per minute:
Inlet elevation = 0 m
Outlet elevation = 15 m
Fluid density = 899 kg/m3
Fluid viscosity = 450 cP
Requirement:
Find the fluid velocity in both the pipe and the pressure difference between the
system inlet and outlet.
Solution:
5” steel angle valve with full area seat wide open modelled as a miscellaneous
fitting with a velocity head loss resistance coefficient of 2.4 as per Crane
example.
Calculated velocity in 5” pipe = 2.97 m/s (cf: 2.97 m/s published in Crane)
Calculated pressure difference = 3.65 bar (cf: 3.64 bar published in Crane)
21
LINE DETAILS
From T-1000
To T-1001
Line Number Line 1
FLUID PROPERTIES
ELEVATIONS
PIPELINES
FITTINGS
22
Fittings factor 1 1 1
OUTPUTS
23
24